Categories

January 09, 2013

Rafael Palmeiro weighs in on Hall of Fame vote

Nobody is Hall of Fame worthy this year, the voting members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America have determined.

Not Barry Bonds. Not Roger Clemens. Not Sammy Sosa. All three of them are linked to steroid use and received similar treatment to that of Rafael Palmeiro, who failed a drug test during his playing days.

Bonds received 36.2 percent, Clemens had 37.6 percent and Sosa had 12.5 percent on their first year on the ballot. Palmeiro received 11 percent of the votes his first year on in 2011.

Craig Biggio was the closest to enshrinement, falling seven percent shy of the 75 percent needed for election.

"I am surprised that no one was honored with an induction this year," Palmeiro said. "This was a tremendous class of players that I had the honor and privilege to play against during my career."

For Palmeiro, it appears as though he may fall off the ballot in the next year or two. He saw his percentage fall from 12.6 percent last year to only 8.8 percent this year. A player needs to be on at least 5 percent of the ballots to stay on.

"I'm personally very honored and thankful to be on the ballot for at least one more year," said Palmeiro, one of four players with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. "I can't say whether or not I'll ever get in."